From Kieran
Dear Betsy, I am 33 year old male and dyslexic. I attribute all my negative thoughts to the fact I am dyslexic as I cannot seem to have confidence myself. I have spent years trying to break the cycle but all my thoughts seem to revert back all the time. I know when I live outside my normal environment I am better person especially in a non-english speaking country. Due to circumstances out of my control it is not a good idea for me to move as I want to go to mainland Europe but I don't know what is happening with Brexit so I feel trapped and unmotivated to do anything.Can you help me?
Dear Kieran,
Thank you for your question. You say you attribute all of your negative thoughts to your dyslexic condition. My question to you is what about having dyslexia makes you have negative thoughts? Is it that you are having thoughts such as I’m flawed because I have this condition, or I’m a victim of dyslexia or something along those lines? What if you were to think of yourself as completely “normal” except that your thinking told you otherwise? I believe we are all a product of our thinking. What if you knew you were confident but it was only that you were having insecure thinking at times, that you were believing and making real? We all have around 70 thousand thoughts every day and we get to choose which ones to believe. Have you heard the term “fake it ‘till you make it?” That is what I would recommend here. When you have a thought that doesn’t feel good such as “I’m insecure because I have dyslexia” let that thought go. Quiet your mind and do something that takes you away from that negative thought. When your mind is peaceful you may have new thought. Possibly an insight that will help you understand your situation better. We can’t have a resolution to an issue with the same mind which caused the problem. Relax your thinking and only believe the thoughts that feel good. Trust those thoughts and you will be just fine. What you are describing is completely normal. We all have insecure thinking at times. Those of us who recognize that it is only our thinking, not reality can then understand that it is an inside job to make ourselves happy. Also do your best not to have negative fantasies about the future (they can be scary) or shameful thoughts about the past (I should have done things differently etc.) Staying in the present is the best remedy for feeling "ok." I would recommend Googling “The Three Principals.” Watch George Pransky and Sydney Banks. See what they have to say and gain a better understanding of the inside out nature of your thinking. I wish you all the best and happy thoughts!!! xo